On the move

It didn’t take long for the snow to melt and the sandy ground to dry off while camped at Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, so once it did we were on the move again.  Hailey grabbed her purple mouse, I packed everything else, and we were off for Sierra Vista to re-stock and prepare for the next phase of the trip.  One of the first stops was at the Circle K on Buffalo Soldier Trail, where a dump and fill were in order.  They also have propane and diesel and a good sized store, so it could be a one-shop-stop for the average traveler.

Next morning, after laundry was done, the big GMC was treated to about 10qts of fresh new engine oil, and as a bonus for being good, a full transmission flush as well.  With a happy truck we headed over to hook up with old friends who live in town, and a good visit was had by all. A few National Park policies were discussed and compared as well.  After a night spent boondocking on the street in front of their house, and a top off of fuel at Fry’s, we hit the road once again.  Once we hit I-10 there had to be a decision.  West towards Tucson, or – the other way.  The near hurricane force winds made the decision easy and we got blown down the road through Benson making about .3l/100km (or about 200mpg!) for the next few miles.  The ‘sand storm’ warning lights were flashing at Bowie, so we turned north again and threw out the anchor upon reaching Hot Well Dunes (BLM) rec area.

Apparently, they were drilling for oil here in the 20’s and instead of striking oil, at 1,920 feet, they struck hot water.

There are a couple of nice, outdoor natural water hot tubs to sit back and soak as long as you like.

The campground (or day-use fee) is expensive though.  At $3.00 a night or day, it had me raiding my supply of laundry/car wash quarters to pay the bills for a few days stay!

 

The area is also popular with the ATV crowd, so there can be a few of them around – specially on the weekends.  Got 8 TV channels, including at least two in English.

After running out of spare change to finance a longer visit, we got the wheels rolling again northward through Safford,

 an eventually stopping for the night at the free BLM campsite at Oak Flats, just east of Superior, Az.  I dare not blog about it because my last post with that title is still getting spam comments a year or two later!  Next stop had a great view of Superstition Mountain, just east of Apache Junction.  Next we hauled through the centre of Phoenix, and made it out to Buckeye where we located a rough, garbage strewn, shooting range, atv tearing, building material dump for a one night stop.  There was a great view of the Phoenix lights at night, and it was peaceful after the shooting ended long after dark, and the atv’s that began arriving at dawn. 60 TV channels, too!

Tried to treat the truck to some new batteries in Buckeye in the morning, but the selected large retailer did not have the correct ones in stock, so at least we saved some money.

After that the slight north west migration continued, and we now find ourselves hanging out in the Lake Havasu area.

Managed to find a spot next to John & Nicole, so John and I went out for a hike while Nicole went for a long run.

We spotted this ‘rock’ lizard …  We are still here, so I don’t want to hear any more complaints about the blog being out of date!  Sorry, but the Lake Havasu bikinis have just started to blossom, so there are no photos to show you.